Patna: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition filed by political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor seeking the cancellation of the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, dealing a setback to the founder of the Jan Suraj party.
A bench of the court said the demand to annul the elections was not justified and declined to examine the plea. The judges, however, noted that if Jan Suraaj wished to pursue the matter further, it could approach the relevant high court.
Kishor’s petition had challenged the conduct of the Bihar government during the election period, alleging violations of the Model Code of Conduct. He claimed that after the announcement of the assembly elections, the state government provided financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to women under the Chief Minister’s Women Employment Scheme, which he argued amounted to inducement of voters.
The plea alleged that the scheme was designed to influence voters and amounted to an attempt to “buy votes” by distributing cash benefits close to polling. Jan Suraaj had sought directions for the cancellation of the elections and for the Election Commission to issue stricter guidelines to prevent the announcement or implementation of welfare schemes aimed at influencing voters during election periods.
The Supreme Court, however, refused to hear the matter, indicating that the allegations did not warrant its intervention at this stage.
The petition followed a disappointing electoral performance for Jan Suraaj in the 2025 Bihar assembly elections, in which the party failed to win a single seat. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a decisive victory with 202 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan, or Grand Alliance, won 35 seats.
Kishor had earlier accepted responsibility for his party’s defeat. While allegations of vote-buying through welfare schemes were also raised by other opposition leaders, Kishor chose to challenge the issue legally. With the Supreme Court declining to hear the plea, the matter is unlikely to progress further unless taken up in a high court.
